Arts and Ideas

Anne Enright discusses a new anthology on Irish short stories, film critic David Thompson on his new Dictionary of Film. Another debate from the Free Thinking Festival on possessions and Climate Science.

Lord Ian Blair talks about violence and human behaviour; Pat Barker discusses her novels charting World War I, political satirist PJ O'Rourke on his new book, 'Don't Vote - It Just Encourages the Bastards' and biographer Michael Holroyd talks about why his latest book is probably his last.

This week, TV designer Kevin McCloud talks about shopping and festival goers speed date with a thinker as part of Radio 3's Free Thinking Festival in Gateshead. And in London, plain speaking poet Craig Raine and the anthropologist who meets terrorists.

This week's Arts & Ideas podcast features extracts from Radio 3's Free Thinking Festival. We debate the nature of happiness, comedy versus tragedy and actress Fiona Shaw talks about the roles that have informed her work.

Julia Neuberger and Jonathan Miller review 'Journey through the Afterlife: The Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead' at the British Museum; Richard Cohen talks to Philip Dodd about his new book, 'Chasing the Sun' and Ian Morris discusses his new book, Why the West Rules which is also reveiwed by the historian Joanna Bourke.

The Irish commentator Fintan O'Toole talks to Philip Dodd. Amanda Foreman discusses her new book based on the relationship between Britain and America during the American Civil War. Rana Mitter and guests explore how and why we smile and author and artist Alasdair Gray discusses Kafa and Michaelangelo

Philip Dodd and poets Fiona Sampson & Anthony Thwaite discuss the letters of Philip Larkin to his friend and lover of 40 years, Monica Jones. Dame Mary Warnock talks to Anne McElvoy about assisted dying and Rana Mitter talks to historian Patrick Wright about his book on Anglo-Chinese relations. And we look at the work of the Edwardian writer, H P Lovecraft.

Salman Rushdie on his new book Luka and the Fire of Life. Biographer Bettany Hughes and philosopher Jonathan Ree reconstruct the life of Socrates. Aaron Sorkin talks about his new blockbuster film about Facebook and the winner of this year’s Man Booker prize, Howard Jacobson.

Jonathan Franzen talks about his new book Freedom. We discuss the winner of this year's Nobel Prize for Literature, Mario Vargas Llosa. The Jordanian sculptor Mona Saudi talks about her new exhibition and Peter Ackroyd on his new book, The English Ghost.

In the 200th year of Mrs Gaskell's birth, Jenny Uglow and Katheryn Hughes discuss her work. Colm Toibin talks to Philip Dodd about his latest book, The Empty Family. We review Paul Gaugin at Tate Modern and discuss the use of 'Correct English' with Simon Heffer and Michael Rosen

The use of the word 'Progression' in politics is discussed with Peter Hitchens, Kitty Ussher & Peter Catterall. The architect John Pawson on his retrospective at the London Design Museum and the choreographer Siobhan Davies reviews a new exhibition of Sergei Diaghilev at the V&A in London

Tony Blair talks about his new book, A Journey. In the week of the 70th anniversary of The Blitz, the historian, Juliet Gardener, talks about its impact on 21st Century culture. And Roy Hattersley who has written a new biography of David Lloyd George is joined by Shirley Williams to ask what lessons today’s coalition government can be learned from the one that he led in peacetime.

Ian McMillan discusses the story of Hansel and Gretal and its continuing relevance to children today and he also explores the relationship between poetry and music

A celebration of Schiller's Ode to Joy sung by Billy Bragg. Exploring the genius of Czech writing including Franz Kafka.